Elevator safety device



March 30, 1926. v v 1,578,604 H. G. HILLMAN ELEVATOR SAFETY DEVICE Filed April 1922 2 Sheets-Shet 1 WITNESSES v mmvron- I ifigr y OJIZEaum/ March 30, 1926. 1,578,604 G.H|LLMAN ELEVATOR SAFETY DEVIGE Filed April 8, 1922 2 Sheets-'Shet 2 iii E.

Patented Mar. 30, 1926.

UNITED, STATES HENRY GEORGE HILLMAN, OF NEW YORK, Y.

ELEVATOR SAFETY nEvIoE.

Application filed April 8, 1922. Serial no) 550,756.

To all whom it may concern: I I Be it known that I, HENRY MAN, a citizen oft-he United States, and a resident of the city of New York, borough of Manhattan, in the county and State of New York, have invented a new and Improved Elevator Safety Device, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description. i i

This invention relates to an elevator safety device, and has for an objectthe provision of a simple, efficient, durable device which is automatically operated whenever a door leading into the elevator shaftway, or the 'collaps'ible"gate on the' elevator cage, is

opened to lock the controlling of the car. 7 l

Another object resides in the provision of means whereby whenever a door is opened,

mechanism "either on the elevator car or in the shaftway, the operating mechanism under the manual control of the operato r'in the car will be locked to prevent the operator from moving the car without full knowledge of the dangerous condition existing, and also gives the elevator operator instant notice wheneverthe elevator door safety system is not in perfect condition.

A further object resides in the particular construction and arrangement of parts which are hereinafter described and claimed and shown in the accompanying drawings.

The invention is illustrated in the draw- 7 ings, of which i Figure lis a diagrammatic'elevation of one form of'the invention, Fig. 2 is" a side elevation of a modified application of the invention shown in Fig, 1. The forms of the invention showninthe drawings are preferred forms, although it is understood that modifications in'thecom struction and arrangement of the parts and in the character of the materials used may be adopted without departing from the spirit of the invention,

The preferred forms of the invention illu'strated in the drawings are applicableto an elevator in which the control of power there, to is regulated by means of a control wheel 1. This wheel is provided with a pair of adjustable plates 2 and 3 of the type shown in United States Patent No. 981,442, entitled Elevator devices, issued to Robert P.vLumley and Henry G. Hillman on January 10,

This control wheel 1 may be one which GEORGE H rincontrols electrical power to drive the elevator, or hydraulic power.

in the spaces between these plates the ends of a pair of pivoted pawls' l and 5 are adapted undercertain conditions to-lie and limit the'movement permissible to the wheel The plates 2 and 3 are disposed apart a definite distanceand i plates 2 and 3. The rear or other ends of the pawls are adapted to be engaged by a weight mounted to slide vertically on rods 8 and 9. This weightis connected" by a stem 10 to one end ofa lever 11 pivoted at l2'on a standard 13'. The other end llQOf this lever is adapted to be engaged by an armature 15 pivoted at 16 on a standard 17 mounted on a frame or base 18 connected to the stationary frame 6 previously mentioned. This armature is adapted to be atv tracted by an electro-magnet-l9 and-the attraction ofthe armature results inthe depression of the end 14 of the lever 11 so i that the'other endto which the weight 7 is connected is elevate-d thereby elevating the weight from engagementwith the pawls 4: and 5 to permit them by reason of, their weight to drop into place to loci; the cone trol device or wheel 1. In other words, it"

will be noted that the weight normally acts by gravity to bear. against the pawls 4 and 5 to hold them out of engagementor out of the path of the plates 2 and 3 so that the control device 1 can be freely actuated in one manner or another. The'magnet 19 is connected by a wire 20 to cheer more switches such as 21 vwhich are normally open and are adapted to be closed whenever a door in the elevator itself or in the elevator shaftway or other closure, such as a gate,

is opened. The other side of the magnetis connected by wire 22 to a release switch 23 which is disposed in the elevator 0& andisnormally closed but which when pressed will' open the circuit in which it is disposed, A suitable source" of power is into the circuit of the electro-magnet. switches 21 are also connected by a wire 27 to the emergency release switch 23.

A light or signal or indicating device 28 is disposed in the car and connected on one side by a wire 29 to a fixed contact member v connected; through SWitCh'24c from wires 25 and26 H The mounted in any suitable manner on the support (3. This contact member 18 adapted to co-operate with another contact member 31 attached to and movable with the armature 15. The contact member 31 is connected by a wire 32 to one side of the electromagnet 19, and the circuit for the contact members and the wire 29 can be traced through this electro-magnet 19, through wire '22,- through the release switch 23, back 'to the other side of the light 28. It will such as 33 on the respective plates to limit 7 the motion of the control device in any direction, excepting that it will restore it to its closed or inoperative position in which no power application is possible. When a door has been opened and this locking action takes place, it will be noticed that the emergency release switch 23 can be depressed by the operator to open the circuit of thelinagnet 19, thus permitting the weight 7' to drop and allow freedom-of movementtothe control wheel" 1. This release of the wheel or controlmember 1 cannot, however, take place except by the deliberate action of the operator after he has found that he cannot move his control member and has been warned by the illumination of the signal or light 28. i

r The release of the pawls 4 'and 5 is effected'in a very simple and a substantially automatic manner by reason of the lifting 1 of the weight,7. F or this reason the nor- 1 mally open circuit system is used. This system is one of the type shown in my United States Patent No. 1,171,338, entitled Safety device, issued February 8, 1916; and the indicating device is of the type set forth in my United'States Patent No. 1,244,211, entitled Elevator safety system, issued October 23, 1917. V

;In Fig. 2 is shown the weight 7, the pawls 4 and 5 associated with plates 2 and3, the

armature 15, the lever 11, and the magnet 19. The plates 2 and?) in this case, however,

are mounted on an operating rod or bar 34 moved by a hand lever 85 under the manual control of the operator within the elevator. This bar is adapted to alter the disposition of the cable sheaves or pulley-s 86 and thus effect, in a Well known manner, the applieffected in the same manner as that previously described, and the operation in all other respects is the same.

l Vhat I claim is 1. An elevator safety device which comprises acontrol member responsive to the actuation of theelevator operator, a pawl having a normaltendency to engage the con trol member and limit its movement, means responsive to gravity normally engaging the pawl to hold it disengaged from the control member, an electro-magn'et energized over a suitable circuit when any door is open, and means actuated by the energization of the electro-magnet. to release the gravityresponsive means fromthe pawl whereby the pawl is permitted to respond to its normal tendency to engage the control member to limit its movement. V V

2. An elevator safety device which com; prises a control wheel, a pair of pawls having a normal tendency to engage thecontrol v member, means on the control member with which the pawl is engaged to limit the move-- m-ent of the control member, a weight as sociated with the: pawl and responsive to gravity normally to hold the pawl-disengagedfrom the control wheel, a lever con nected to the weight, an electro-magnet energized whenever a door is open, and an armature actuated by the en-ergization of the I electro-magnet, said armature actuating the lever to lift the weight from the pawl whereby the pawl will engage the wheelto limit its movement. 7

3. A safety device for elevators having a control member, a magnet, door-operating switches and circuits connecting the switches with the magnet, said magnet adapted to be operated when a door is opened, said devices comprising pivoted members normally tending by'reason of their balance in response to gravity to engage the control member and lock it in aninoperative position, a slidable member responsive to gravity and adapted normally to hold said pivoted members in their disengaged position, and means associating the slidable member with the magnet whereby when the magnet is ener gized the slidable member will be released from the pivoted members whereby said pivoted' members will drop intofth'eir normal position of engagement with the control member.

HENRY GEORGE HILLMAN. 

